Wire stretcher



F M. HogLmGswoRTH WIRE STRETCHER Filed May 15, 1922 2 Shets-Sheot 1 Jame 24. 1924 F. M. HOLLINGSWORTH WIRE STRETCHER Filed ma 15 1922 2 Sheets-Shunt 2 Patented June 24, 1 924.

FRED. 1M. YHOLLINGSVJ'ORTH, OF ODESSA, TEXAS.

Winn STRETCHER. f

Application filed May 15, 1922.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, F RED. M. HoLLiNcs- QwoRTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Udessa, in the countyjof Ector and State of Texas, have invented certain new and ,useful Improvements in fire jStretchers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wire stretchers and 'splicers of the character employed 1n constructing and repair ng wire fences, and

my object is to provid a simple, inexpensive and eliicient device of light portable character possessing advantages over other devices now in use.

One preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and with reference to which the in vent-ion will be more fully described and then be particularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

' Fig. 1 is a plan View of the device in the act of stretching a fencewire and holding it' against a post preparatory to being secured by a staple. I

Fig. 2 is a side 'elevatlon of the parts d1sclosed by Fig. 1, with a portion of the post broken away.

i Fig. Sis a detail of a drum forming an tial positionfor holding two wires in position preparatory to splicing them together. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the final position of the device for holding the two wires to v be spliced together.

In carrying out the invention, I employ a bar 2 consisting, preferably, of wood in order to gain strength and lightness. Said bar 2 is provided at its rear end with a member 4 havingoppositely-disposed longitudinal flanges 6 for engaging the sides of the bar 2 and "a transverse flang 8 for engaging the rear end of said bar 2. The flanges 6 and 8' coact with suitable means such as a bolt 10 in securing the member 4 to the bearing 2. The member 4 is provided at its forward portion with a laterally pro- Serial No. 561,128.

jecting hook 12 and at its rear portion with a laterally and upwardly projecting support 14 adapted to rest upon the fence wire A. and thus support the rear portion of the device. w l v I The forward portion ofthe bar is pre vided "with a member 16 having long-nudinal flanges 18 for engaging'the sides of the bar 2 and a transversefiange 2O forerigaging the front end of said bar 2 and coacting with other fastening means such a-s'ibolts 22 in securing said member 16 in position. The member 16 is provided with a pair of forwardly projecting bearings 24, a laser ally projecting hook 2'6, aplurali-ty of teeth 28, and a laterally projecting abutment 30, which latter is at the rear end of the member 16 and projects therefrom in an opposite direction to the hook 26.

the same to said hook 12, while the :h'ook'26 is leftopen so that the opposite end of the anchor 32 may be disconnected when the anchor is to be placed around :or'removed from the post B. By forming the anchor 32 of links as shown it may be adjusted to fit different sizes of posts by engaging any of its links over the hook 26. The members 4 and 16 are provided at their undersides with ratchet-like teeth 31 and 38, respectively, which are embeddedin the bar 2 and thus coact with bolts 10 and 22in firmly holdingsaid members in placer 34 designates a drumwhich is'removablymounted in the bearings 24. Said drum 34 is provided at one side with a relatively lar e loop or eye 36 in which a lever 38 is loosely mounted, so that it may be swung laterally as indicated by the arrow atoengage or disengage the abutment "30. The lever 38 is held in the loop 36 by suitable means such as staples 40. The oppositeside of the drum 34 is provided with a1holder 1339 for holding one end of the Wire A. Said holder 89 is provided with a longitudinal groove 41, one end of which extends :to a shoulder 42 opposite a shoulder 43 adjacent to the'outer end of the holder 40. The opposite end of the groove 41 communicates with an oblique groove44 in thedrum-3'4,

the grooves 44 and which latter also has a central peripheral groove 46 in addition to an eye 48 for purposes which will hereinafter appear. The outer portion of the holder 40 has a notch 50 opposite the shoulder 42.

in practice one end of the fence wire is at ached to fence post, not shown. The operator then moves forward to "another post a suitable distance from the first post and anchors the device to said other post by placing the chain 32 around the same and linking it over me hook 26.

Then before or after mounting the drum 34 in the bearings 24 the wire A is placed in 41,. thence around the shoulders 42 and 43 and through the notch 50, thence outwardly as disclosed by Fig. 1. The wire A is then drawn tightly against the post by turning the lever 38 to wind said wire A upon the drum 34. r fter the wire A has been drawn sufficiently taut one end of the lever '38 is swung into position on top of the abutment 30 which holds said lever 38 and the drum 34 from wardly and allowing the wire A. to become slack. The operator is now free to use both hands in stapling or otherwise securing the wire A to the post B. During the stretching operation the backward pull of the wire firmly holds the drum 34 in its bearings 24 and causes the teeth 28 to become embedded in tne post B, thereby preventing the device from being drawn backwardly and allowing the wire to become slack. It will also be noted by reference to Fig. 1, that by arranging the drum 34 at the forward end of the device said drum 34 will be in advance of the post to which the wire A. is stapled after the stretching operation, and hence the wire has'no chance to become slack when it is removec from the drum 34, whichis usu ally the case on that type of stretchers where the drum is located at the rear of the post to which the stretcher is secured. That portion of the wire A secured to the holder 40 may either be the free end of the wire or it mambe a part of a spool of wire, not shown, the object being to arrange the drum-34 and the holder 40 in such a way that either the free end of a wire, or wire on a spool may be attached in the manner shown and de scribed. In some instances where the free end of the wire is attached to the drum 34 and is too short to be secured to the holder 33 as shown by Fig. i, said free end may be threaded through the eye 48 and by giving it half turn around the drum 34, it will be prevented from slipping out of said eye 48 when the drum 34 is rotated to wind the wire thereon and stretch the same.

Figs. 7 and 8, show how the ends of two wires or both ends of a broken wire may be brought together for splicing. In this instance one end G of the wire is secured to turning back- Ii,498,73i

the drum 84 either by threading it through the eye 48 or engaging it with the holder 40 in the same manner as when the wire is to be stretched, while the other end is formed into a loop D which is placed over a hook 50 having a swivel connection to the member 16. After thus connecting the two ends of the wire to the device, the wire is stretched taut by winding it upon the drum 34, after which the device is turned around to the position disclosed by Fig. 8 to form a hitch 52 which holds the two portions of the wire together. The drum 34 is then rotated in a reverse direction to release that portion of the wire wound thereon, after which said released portion of the wire is finally twisted around the main portion of the wire. The looped end D of the wire is then disengaged from hook 50 and twisted around the main portion of the wire. In instances where considerable slack is to be taken up before splicing the ends of the wire. together the drum 34 becomes filled with windings before the wire is drawn sufficiently taut. In such cases that portion of the wire con nected to the drum 34 is secured to the sup port 14 by a piece of wire 53. That portion of the wire wound upon the drum 34 is then removed, drawn taut and again secured to the drum 34 which is rotated until the wire is sufficiently taut to be spliced. As shown the wire 53 is twisted around the fence wire it and brought up over the supporting member 14, and thence down be-- neath the wire A around which it is looped, as indicated at E. A notch 54 is provided in the forward end of the support 14 to receive the looped portion of the wire 53 and prevent the same from slipping off of said support 14.

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that I have provided a device embodying the features above point-- ed out, and while I have shown and de scribed the preferred construction, combination and arrangement of parts, I reserve the right to make such changes as properly fall within the spirit and. scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described bar, a member fixed to said bar and proided with a support for engagement with wire to be stretched or spliced, a second member fixed to the bar, a drum journaled in said second member for stretching the wire, a lever for rotating said drum, and an abutment extending from the second member and against which the lever may be adjusted to prevent backward rotation of the drum.

2. In a device of the character described a bar, a member fixed to said bar and pro vided with a support for engagement with a. Wire to be stretched or spliced, a second member fixed to the bar, a drum journaled in said second member and adapted to stretch the Wire, a loop on one side of said drum, a lever extending loosely through said loop and whereby the drum may be rotated, and an abutment on the second member for engagement by the lever to prevent backward rotation of the drum.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses.

FRED. M. HOLLINGSVVORTH. Witnesses:

L. J. FISCHER, F. C. FISCHER. 

